By Maj. Kevin Boyd

PIÑON CANYON MANEUVER SITE — Community members received a hands-on experience with modern Army equipment and were afforded the opportunity to speak with all parties engaged in the draft environmental impact study for the 235,000-acre training site located 150 miles southeast of Fort Carson.

Prior to the Nov. 20, 2-14, public meeting, Soldiers demonstrated new equipment Fort Carson is proposing to use at Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) to include Stryker vehicles, an RQ-11 Raven unmanned aerial vehicle, Long-Range Advance Scout Surveillance System and a TALON tracked military robot.

The meeting was hosted at PCMS so that those who live closest to the maneuver site would be able to attend.

“The ability to train on PCMS with the equipment that we use on today’s battlefield is crucial for the success of the American Soldier,” said Garrison Commander Col. Joel D. Hamilton as he welcomed the participants to the meeting and discussed the needs of the modern Army.

“The 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson is the United States Army’s most diverse division,” said Dan Benford, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security director. “It has a heavy
armored brigade, a Stryker brigade, a light infantry brigade and a combat aviation brigade. There is no more capable or diverse division in the Army, and it is imperative that we train at PCMS with this diverse capability of equipment. The Army has changed and adapted to new threats with new weapons and equipment such as those on display today.”

Warmer temperatures after recent snowfall made for muddy, saturated soil when the Soldiers and Strykers arrived for the static display at PCMS, which gave firsthand knowledge of the vehicles effect on the environment.

After noticing the grass sprang back up in the shallow tracks left by the Strykers as they traveled over the short prairie grass getting to the display platforms, Paula Ozzello, chair of the Southern Colorado Environmental Council, noted that the vehicles didn’t leave much of a track.

“The Soldiers relished the fact that they were able to support the Army in providing a direct impression on the environmental impact survey. They are excited for the opportunity to train with our Strykers at PCMS,” he said.